PUSD ELA Common Core Lesson Plan Template
Teacher(s):
Unit of Instruction / Theme: Ecosystems—4-5 days
Lesson Title:
”Don’t Step on that Ecosystem!”
Date:
CC State Standard(s): RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.4
CC Literacy Standard(s):
DRAFT
Grade Level/Course: 4th
Duration: 1 day
(6-12 Only)
ELD Standard(s):
Interpretive 4.B.6: Reading closely literary and informational texts and viewing multimedia to determine how
meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language.
Emerging: 6.a) Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., volcanoes eruptions), and text elements (main idea, characters, events, etc.)
based on close reading of a select set of grade-level texts with substantial support.
Expanding: 6.a) Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., animal migration), and text elements (main idea, central message, etc.) in greater
detail based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts with moderate support.
Bridging: 6.a) Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., pollination), and text elements (main idea, character traits, event sequence, etc.) in
detail based on close reading of a variety of grade-level texts with light support.
Lesson Foundations
Learning Objective(s)/Language Objective(s):
Clear Link


The students will engage in close reading to
find text evidence that will be used to complete
a one-sided Multi-Flow to support a teacher
created claim.
The students will use cause and effect
academic language to explain their one-sided
Multi-Flows.
Essential Question:
Assessment(s): Describe each assessment in detail and
include its purpose in helping you monitor students’
progress towards specific learning objective(s).

Students will write a summary statement
in a complete sentence that reflects the
information on the Thinking Map and answers
the question “Why did the author choose this
title and use an exclamation point?” This may
be done on day 2.
How can I closely read informational text to find text evidence that supports a claim?
Adapted: jcash2013 & Claremont Graduate University
Date Revised: February 5, 2014
College and Career
Readiness Skills
(check all that apply)
Demonstrating independence
Responding to varying demands of
audience, task, purpose, and discipline
Building strong content knowledge
Comprehending as well as critiquing
Common Core Instructional Shifts (check all that apply)
Using technology & digital media
strategically and capably
Demonstrating understanding of
other perspectives and cultures
Proving point of view with evidence
Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational
Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Teaching and Learning
As you plan and write your lesson, use the following guiding questions to support the implementation of the skills, 4Cs, and rigor.
 How are the identified Common Core and Readiness Skills embedded in the lesson?
 Which of the FOUR C’s will be engaged during this lesson? (check all that apply)
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Critical Thinking
 How is academic RIGOR demonstrated in this lesson through the DOK?
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Level(s): (check all that apply)
Level 1: Recall
Level 2: Skill/Concept
Level 3: Strategic Thinking
Level 4: Extended
Lesson Opener (Sharing objective(s) and Engaging/Motivating Students): Describe in detail how you will communicate learning
objective(s). How will you purposefully engage students so they are either excited to learn “x” or feeling like “x” is important, worthwhile, and/or
relevant? How will you access prior knowledge? How will you teach vocabulary (if applicable)? How will you check for understanding?
Time
What Teacher Does
Allocation
Objective Sharing: The students will
5 min.
engage in close reading to find text
evidence that will be used to complete a
one-sided Multi-Flow.
Engaging/Motivating Students: “Today,
you will be detectives that find the
evidence that proves this claim: Plants
and animals have the ability to live almost
anywhere because of nature.” (Visually
displayed 1-sided Multi-Flow)
Teacher asks students to describe close
reading and why they should do it.
What Students Do
Students will follow along as teacher
shares the objective and lets them know
what they will do.
Students will tell their partner that it
means they will slow down and pay
attention to the text to find out what it is
saying and what the big idea is.
Differentiation
RTI (Benchmark, Strategic, Intensive)
ELD (Emerging, Expanding, Bridging)
Refer to close reading
annotation chart, e.g., circling
words or phrases that are
confusing and underlining
major points.
Partner Talk
Teacher monitors
Instruction and Practice: Describe in detail your instructional approach (direct, discovery, inquiry, etc.). What will you do to present the
Adapted: jcash2013 & Claremont Graduate University
Date Revised: February 5, 2014
content so it is comprehensible and purposefully designed to help students meet the learning objective(s)? What will you do for guided practice?
What will you do for independent practice? Furthermore, how will you promote and monitor student engagement and check for understanding at
all levels of instruction? How will you check for understanding? What questions will you ask to check for understanding?
Time
What Teacher Does
What Students Do
Allocation
Instruction: Teacher will ask students to
5 min.
The students will read silently and circle
read the text silently and to read with a
any words/phrases that are confusing to
pencil. Teacher asks students to look up at them.
her when you are finished. Teacher will
walk around and monitor student reading.
15 min.
15 min.
Teacher uses the Elmo and projector to
model using context clues to determine
the meaning of ecosystem through a Think
Aloud, “When I read the title I was thinking
that I didn’t know exactly how to define an
ecosystem (teacher circles the word). But,
as I continued reading, I noticed that the
second paragraph tells me what an
ecosystem is. Teacher reads and
underlines the sentence. Teacher asks
students to reread the sentence and share
the meaning of ecosystem in their own
words with their partners.
Students follow along on screen and on
their own paper to read and annotate the
text as teacher models and thinks aloud.
Once students are finished the teacher
asks them to work with a partner to share
the words/phrases that they don’t know.
Their partners may know words that they
may not know.
Students work in pairs and discuss the
words/phrases that are confusing to them
and clarify for each other.
Teacher will signal the class to come back
together to discuss any words that are still
unknown.
Students share words that are unknown
and teacher clarifies.
Guided Practice: Teacher shares the
advance organizer Thinking Map on the
Students follow along as advance
organizer is explained and words are
Adapted: jcash2013 & Claremont Graduate University
Students talk to their partner.
Differentiation
RTI (Benchmark, Strategic, Intensive)
ELD (Emerging, Expanding, Bridging)
Students are seated
beside either secretaries that
can clarify information or
beside a student who can
translate any information
needed.
Teacher modeling and
demonstrating how to annotate
the text and use context clues.
Teacher walks the room and
monitors to support partners—
substantial/moderate/light
support.
Teacher monitors to support
partners-substantial/moderate/light
support
Advance organizer that is
organized in a Thinking map
and is labeled: Source, text
Date Revised: February 5, 2014
Elmo. Teacher reviews the words source,
text evidence, and claim.
Teacher asks students: What is the
source of our information today?
Turn to your partner and explain text
evidence and how it relates to the claim.
Teacher calls on 2-3 groups to share out
loud.
reviewed.
evidence, and claim.
Students write title on white boards and
display after countdown, 3, 2, 1.
Students Think, Pair, Share.
Selected students share.
Teacher walks the room to
support and listens for
exemplary responses. Teacher
quietly asks carefully selected
students to share when called
upon.
Teacher shares that students will reread
the passage in order to find out if the
assertion or claim that “Plants and animals
can live almost anywhere because of
nature” can be supported with text
evidence. They will work in 2’s or 3’s to
search for 3 or more pieces of test
evidence to support that claim.
Teacher asks students to tell their partner
what the task is. Teacher uses equity
sticks to call on students.
Teacher models and thinks aloud as she
reads the first paragraph. Teacher
underlines key information that could
support the claim and explains why it is
key information. Teacher numbers the
paragraphs and states that this is another
strategy for close reading and helps keep
the information organized.
Students follow along on Elmo or on their
papers.
One sided Multi-Flow is posted.
Partner work.
Selected students share out.
Extended wait time is given for
students who need it (up to 8
seconds)
Pair support, teacher modeling
and think aloud with visual
support and
substantial/moderate/light
support.
Teacher models writing information in one
of the text evidence boxes—tells students
to limit the information in the box—the
number of the paragraph can be written by
the box so students can refer back to the
passage easily if needed.
Adapted: jcash2013 & Claremont Graduate University
Students follow along, underline, and
number when directed to do so.
Students write the information in the box
and the number that correlates to the
numbered paragraph.
Teacher monitors by walking
around.
Date Revised: February 5, 2014
Independent Practice: Teacher asks
students to annotate and complete the text Students work in pairs or triads to
Students who need extra
evidence boxes. Teacher will ask
annotate the text and complete the text
support may practice
students to share their evidence pieces
evidence boxes and present to the class. presenting to teacher or
with the class.
another group of 2 students.
Closure: Describe in detail how you will know if lesson objective(s) are met? How will students reflect on their learning? How will
you connect learning to real world experience?
Time
Differentiation
What
Teacher
Does
What
Students
Do
RTI (Benchmark, Strategic, Intensive)
Allocation
ELD (Emerging, Expanding, Bridging)
Teacher orally asks students
5 min.
and records their answers.
Ask questions that remind
Based on the text evidence written in the
students to look at their Multicompleted Thinking Map, write 1 sentence Students write a sentence the uses the
Flow to answer the question,
that explains why the author used an
text evidence in their map.
e.g., Is that information written
exclamation point in the title.
on your map?
What is the first reason that
you selected to support the
claim?
15 min.
Identify vocabulary
that will need to be
introduced or
reviewed:
Tier 1 Words:
Tier 2 Words: source—book or
passage that gives information for
use in an oral or written piece
Tier 3 Words: ecosystem
Text evidence: proof found in the
words, phrases, sentences, or
paragraphs of a passage, article,
textbooks, etc.
Claim: a statement that makes it
seem like its true but may be false
because it hasn’t been proved. It
could be an opinion that is stated
as a claim.
Materials and
Teacher selected short passage, “Don’t Step in that Ecosystem!” from a SBAC performance task. Close
resources needed
reading annotation chart. Teacher created advance organizer with a one-sided Multi-Flow and claim written in
for lesson:
the effect rectangle of the Thinking Map.
Adapted: jcash2013 & Claremont Graduate University
Date Revised: February 5, 2014
Adapted: jcash2013 & Claremont Graduate University
Date Revised: February 5, 2014